All Is Calm, All Is Bright

By now, I'm sure you all have your trees and homes decorated, your presents wrapped and you're able to sit back and enjoy all that the holidays have to offer (well, most of you, anyway!). And as you are finally able to take a deep breath and relax, I truly hope you decide to try the delicious Red Velvet Cake Hot Cocoa recipe I posted, which will make leaning back and perusing these beautiful seasonal pics all the more enjoyable!

 

Photo credits from top to bottom: AD Espana Deciembre 2010, westelm.com, mygirlyside.tumblr.com, belgianpearls.com, eclecticrevisited.com, netpublicatior.com, affari.nu, rivieramaison.com

Wrap Star

I really do miss my daughters the most this time of year. Though I have to confess that it probably has less to do with the fact that it's a family holiday and more to do with the fact that I'm missing my two gift wrappers! We could get those presents beautifully wrapped in the blink of an eye when all three of us sat down to do it, whereas these days, it's an all-month solo event for myself. Good thing I love presenting gorgeous presents, or I'd have to rope the girls into moving home! On a side note, I just wanted to remind you all that I offer gift tags and cards in the French Charmed boutique. Happy holidays!

 

Photo credits from top to bottom: citified.blogspot.com, songbirdisnesting.com, marisawrites.blogspot.com, marisawrites.blogspot.com, 3bp.blogspot.com, housetweaking.com, parentsconnect.com, theyearoflivingfabulously.blogspot.com, makemerryevents.com, notjustbrides.blogspot.com, ilovehandmade.blogspot.com

Cup Of Lovely

If I know what holiday is (and believe me, I do), it's definitely this sweet, luscious cup of silky red velvet cake hot cocoa. I've been sipping down cups of The Coffee Bean's version like, well, they're cups of perfection. Which they are! But this homemade version made with cream cheese whipped cream is also unbelievably decadent, and it's an impressive seasonal treat to serve to family and friends.

Address-tic Change

If you're anything like us, you're always looking for ways to outdo the special touches you impressed upon the holidays previous years before. Using a rare and sought after ribbon here, spending the time to make homemade truffles there, the list goes on and on. This year, I thought of yet another way to bring more magic to the season: Having my holiday card envelopes addressed by a calligrapher! It's much more expensive than the good old fashioned DIY approach, but it's something special for those who won't be receiving gifts along with their cards this year, and that definitely makes it worth it. However, I applaud any brave souls who attempt to self-address their cards in a fancy way this year! Why not, for a little added whimsy and fun?

 

Photo credits from top to bottom: ohsobeautifulpaper.com, calligraphybyjennifer.net, pennedandpretty.blogspot.com, mitzvahlicious.com, pmumau.wordpress.com, the prettypen.com, katie-michelle.com, pompandhappystance.tumbl.com

All That Glitters Is Gold

Okay, I'll admit it: I have an addiction to glitter. Namely, gold glitter. I'll use it, look at it, sprinkle it, probably maybe even eat it, just to have it in my life. The man? Well, he's not so much a fan. Not only because it's not a very masculine thing to have around, but because it somehow ends up all over him, no matter who, what, how, why or when the glitter enters our dwelling. Gotta love it!

 

Photo credits from top to bottom: weheartit.com, favim.com, favim.com, blondeinlouboutins.tumblr.com, blondeinlouboutins.tumblr.com, weheartit.com, theberry.com, theberry.com, citified.blogspot.com, citified.blogspot.com.

JOYEUX NOEL SALE

The Annual JOYEUX NOEL SALE starts today at French Charmed! 20% OFF your purchase now through December 10th! Visit the French Charmed Website for details. See you there darling!

Vintage Viands

I've been on the vintage bandwagon concerning clothes and shoes it seems since even before my own mom was born, but my latest obsession with the old-fashioned comes in the form of my favorite domestic activity: cooking! I've been trying recipes straight from places like 1861's The Book of Household Management and Martha Washington's "Booke of Cookery," and I confess: Though a term like "a spoonfull of sack" doesn't translate to the modern kitchen, I sure get a kick out giving it my own interpretation and winging it when I have no idea what I'm doing! It truly adds to the fun, and using these antique recipes reminds me that cooking isn't a chore, but rather a long-standing tradition that women have typically enjoyed and excelled in. If you're brave enough to traverse the unknown like the English settlers did in the 1700s, I dare you to try a few vintage recipes yourself! Here's an easy one to get you started, from 1887's "The American Girls Handy Book: How to amuse yourself and others."

Molasses-Candy

2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup of New Orleans molasses
2/3 cup of vinegar & water mixed
A piece of butter half the size of an egg.

When the candy hardens in cold water, pour into shallow buttered tins, and as soon as it is cool enough to handle, pull it until it is of a straw-color. Splendid!

"What in the world are they making? What but molasses candy! It is nearly done. It ought to be, after the boiling and the stirring that the girls in turn have given it. Finally, some one holds forward a pan of cold water. Dorothy, carefully dipping out a spoonful of the fragrant syrup, drops it into the water. It fizzes; it stiffens – hurrah! The candy is ready to be taken from the fire. Cool enough now…  They are pulling the candy already. Boys and girls in pairs, with hands daintily washed and greased, are taking soft lumps of the cooling mass, drawing them out into great, long, shining ribbons, doubling and drawing them out again until they get lighter and lighter in color, and finally the beautiful golden strands are declared ready for more artistic handling."
From : "Donald and Dorothy" by Mary Mapes Dodge.  St. Nicholas Magazine, 1882.

 

Photocredits from top to bottom: ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com, pilgrimhall.org